Basket Hilt
The phrase basket-type hilts refers to a large group of hilts which provide a degree of protection to the hand and wrist. Basket-hilted swords have featured prominently among British military edged weapons over the past five centuries, from the Wars of the Roses in the mid fifteenth century to the period immediately after the second Boer War of the early twentieth century.
This Basket Hilt is the sword of the 1745 Jacobite uprising, used until then with devastating effect as part of the Highland charge. The final threat to the Union came with the 1745 Jacobite Rising when Charles Edward Stuart, or Bonnie Prince Charlie as he was known, disappointed at French unwillingness to invade in 1744, decided to finance his own rising. Initially it was a startling success, once again drawing most of its support from the north-east and the Highland clans. The Jacobite army rapidly broke out of the Highlands, capturing Edinburgh, courtesy of Wade’s roads, and advancing as far south as Derby in England. However, with no sign of French support, the army retreated back to their stronghold in the Highlands and was finally defeated at Culloden Moor near Inverness in 1746.
The Basket Hilt comes in a brass finish with a red cloth lining, the sword also features a fitted sheath.
| Blade Length: | 34'' |
| Total Length: | 42'' |
